Damaged
by Echo1317
Summary: She needed someone to fix. Simon/Isabelle, inspired by a quote from House. Post- Glass, no Maia. Izzy is very OOC, I don't think it sounds very much like her, but it's pretty good anyways.


A/N I was watching House on Saturday with my friend and he said this one thing, and I had like a vision or something. It was super awesome! This doesn't sound at all like Isabelle, but I think it's pretty good for a story written at one in the morning.

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_"You live under the delusion that you can fix everything that isn't perfect… You don't love, you need… You're looking for a new charity case. That's why you're going out with me… What I am is what you need. I'm damaged."_

_-Gregory House; House, MD; Season 1; Episode 20: Love Hurts_

"So," Simon said awkwardly, folding and unfolding the fancy cloth napkin in his lap, "What are we doing?"

Isabelle giggled at his uncertainty. They were sitting in one of the finest restaurants in New York, looking at each other through the quiet candlelight, and he asked what they were doing. Mundanes could be so funny! _But he's not a mundane,_ she reminded herself,_ He's a Downworlder now._

"We're on a date, silly," She sighed, reaching out to take the hand that he had set on the table. Simon stared blankly at their intertwined fingers. When he looked up at her, her eyes were wide and surprised.

"Why?" He asked incredulously. Isabelle sighed again, laying her hand on her cheek.

"Because I like you,' Isabelle gave a little smirk at Simon's expression, "And who knows? Maybe a creepy fetish for Downworlders runs in our family." She cringed internally, thinking of Alec and Magnus. She was glad her brother was happy, but ever since he'd established a real relationship with his boyfriend, it was like he didn't have time for her.

"O- ok," Simon stuttered, and Isabelle giggled again. She had never heard a vampire trip over his own tongue before. "Um, what do people usually do on dates? Well," He amended, "Dates with you?"

"Oh, lots of things," Isabelle said happily, _Sometimes things that would be considered indecent,_ she added in her head. She took a small sip of the white wine she had ordered. It was bitter and cold, but the slight buzz it gave her was worth the disgusting after-taste the crap she was drinking left. "Let's start small. Where did you grow up?"

They went back and forth with their good spirited Q and A for a few hours longer than either of them had anticipated. Isabelle noticed that the only subject the Simon purposely shied away from was Clary. She was the only thing that had ever hurt him so badly. She was the only thing that could break him; that had broken him, and he hadn't quite gotten all the pieces together yet.

"How's Alec?" Simon asked innocently. Isabelle visibly flinched. "I haven't seen him in a while."

She snorted. Well on her way to her fourth glass of the cheap but strong wine, Isabelle was thoroughly drunk, and stupid. Come to think of it, she wondered why Simon was still putting up with her at this point.

"Neither have I," She said dryly, "He's been spending all his time with Magnus."

"Aren't you glad he found someone?" Simon asked in a puzzled tone. The pair were the only ones left in the place, and the bus boys had begun putting the chairs up on the tables around them. One swept up the candle that was burning between them and extinguished it.

"Of course I am," Isabelle said, sobering up slightly at the question, "It's just that it seems like since he met Magnus, he doesn't need me anymore."

And that's when something clicked inside Simon's head.

She had been dropping hints all night. She brought up Clary, his dad, his mother, all the things he'd been lying about. He felt like such an idiot for not realizing it earlier…

"You don't really like me, do you?" He questioned her. She almost choked on her wine.

"What? Of course I do, Simon," Isabelle assured him. He shook his head.

"It's ok," Simon said, gently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. She frowned. "It's not really anything you can help."

"I don't get it," Isabelle insisted, "What in the name of the Angel do you mean?"

"You…" Simon didn't quite know how to tell her about his epiphany. After all, he didn't have many, and he wasn't used to sharing them. "You think that you can fix everything that isn't perfect. You need to fix everything. You helped Alec, fixed him, and you're looking for someone else to fix. Me."

Isabelle was shocked into silence. That was not true. She liked to help, but she didn't get off on fixing people. She didn't _need_ to fix anything!

"You yourself are broken, so you have to fix other people so that maybe you can fix yourself." Simon explained further. She shook her head no. Ok, so she may be a little scarred, but what he was saying was impossible.

"I do like you," She insisted, "You're insane."

"No, you don't like me, Izzy," Simon said, "But I won't try to correct you about the crazy part. Come on. I'm not charming, or funny, or even all that nice, especially to your family. But I'm what you need. You like what I am," Simon paused, searching Isabelle's cloudy and confused blue eyes, the eyes of someone who probably wouldn't remember this in the morning. Slowly, Simon stood up. He bent swiftly across the table, putting one hand behind her neck. He kissed her briefly but passionately, breaking away softly and resting his cool forehead against hers.

"I'm damaged," He whispered, his eyes closed tightly. Isabelle was still staring at the empty place he had been standing a moment before as he walked away and out the door behind her.

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Just as an after thought, I wanted to say that Simon called Alec to come pick Isabelle up. He's too nice to leave her on her own to get home while she's drunk and stupid. ;)


End file.
